Sunday, December 30, 2012

During the summer of 2003, I was working at a total
immersion Japanese camp (part of the Concordia Language Villages spread
throughout northern Minnesota), and I had chosen to work both the first and
second sessions. I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with all of
the money I was making while doing both sessions (I say that as if I had stacks
of cash. Anyone who knows CLV, knows we’re paid in experience rather than
monetarily). I saw two options: use it as a down payment for a new(er) car or
travel. I was confident that my 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity Caprice would make it
many more years (it lasted five more months). The next big question was where…
I chose Brazil, mostly since I had many English-teacher friends down there, and
I thought if I went somewhere where I knew people, I could stay with people
rather than in hotels or hostels. So, Brazil it was.

In the mountains of Parana. Wow, what changes 10 years makes; this is before 8 years of marriage and two babies. That's not even my hair color anymore.

Brazil is the largest country in South America, and not only
the only Portuguese-speaking country on the continent, but the largest
Portuguese-speaking country in the world. For most people, Brazil conjures up
images of the Amazon, gauchos, coffee, pristine beaches full of bikini-clad
women, the wild throws of Carnival and samba, racing, and soccer (or fútbol as
the rest of the world calls it). And while those things are popular, there is
more to Brazil than that.

Brazil borders every country in South America, except two:
Chile and Ecuador. And because Brazil is such a large country, not much smaller
than the United States, the land is diverse as well. The Amazon rainforest
spans across the northwest regions of the country, and its famous coffee grows
in the coastal states in the mid- to southern regions. Brazilian coffee is
among the best in the world, and prior to the Great Depression on the 1930s,
Brazil provided 80% of the world’s coffee.
The southern part is an important agricultural region – famous for their
gaucho culture. Part mountainous and part plains, this region is famous for its
beef as well as its wine production, both of which are superb.

The country of Brazil is named after brazilwood, a type of
tree that has a dark red wood found mostly in the northwest of Brazil, mostly
from the state of Pernambuco. During the 15th and 16th
century, the wood was coveted by Europeans for its ability to create dyes and
for other uses, such as musical instruments (like violin bows). Ships carrying
brazilwood were often pirated and had its cargo stolen. However, the tree is
listed as endangered because of all of this.

An example of brazilwood. This is a viola bow.

Brazil is just about as diverse as the United States. Because
it was also a stop on the slave trade, much of the northern areas have many
people of African descent or mixed African descent. Of course, you’ll find many
people of Portuguese, Spanish and other European descent, and after WWII, there
was a large emigration of Italians and Germans who fled to the southern parts
of Brazil. Brazil also is the host of the largest Japanese population outside of
Japan, one of the largest communities being that of Liberdade in São Paulo, Brazil's (and South America's) largest city. I
was only in São Paulo for a day and didn’t get the chance to go to Liberdade,
so it’s definitely a MUST-SEE the next time I go.

While most people know of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, neither of those cities are the capital. The capital is Brasilia, which lies farther inland and has the distinction of being one of the world's few "planned cities." (We talked about the capital city of Canberra, Australia also being a planned city.) And actually, it's the largest city in the world that didn't exist at the beginning of the 20th century. The principle architect was Oscar Niemeyer (I went to one of his museums in Curitiba where the building looked like a big eye.), and if viewed from above, the city looks like an airplane or butterfly.

The vast majority of the country claims Roman Catholic as
their religion, although Protestantism has been gaining followers in the past
decade. There is also a large population who do not claim any particular
religion at all. Brazil actually has the world’s largest Catholic population.

In the past decade, Brazil has made strides in coming up as
an economic power. It has a strong manufacturing, agricultural, mining, and
service jobs sector that helps to drive its economy to make it one of the
fastest emerging economies in the world.

Brazil still struggles with literacy rates among the poor
areas and violent crimes in the larger cities; some areas still don't have adequate access to clean water and sanitation. The country is still trying to
come up with solutions relating to its infamous favelas, the most famous ones
in Rio de Janeiro. These slum areas are
occupied by the poorest peoples in the city, disproportionately minority
neighborhoods. The literacy rates are lower than the rest of the population and
certain diseases tend to be higher since access to health care is limited. These
areas are often one of the central points for drug trafficking; Brazil is the
second-largest consumer of cocaine and an illicit producer of cannabis as well.
I imagine this will be an issue we’ll see more of in the news in the next few
years since Brazil will be the host of the 2014 FIFA World Cup as well as the
2016 Summer Olympics.

I’m really excited for the opportunity to delve into
Brazil’s cultural history to showcase a country that has been close to my heart
for almost a decade now. (I was made an honorary Brazilian by my friends.) They
take a lot of pride in their arts and history, from their literature to their
music to their cuisine. Even though I have a lot of pre-knowledge about Brazil,
I’m sure there are things that will still be new to me.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Amidst picking my kids up from my parents from staying overnight,
trying to battle crowds of morons to finish up my Christmas shopping to
actually wrapping all these gifts, I did manage to find time to do a little
cooking this weekend. And not just any cooking: food from Botswana.

At the end of the 2nd episode in “No. 1 Ladies’
Detective Agency,” Mma Makutsi mentioned making seswaa. Seswaa is slow-cooked
beef brisket. I did find beef brisket, which is a tough cut of meat just below
the shoulder; however, it was a little more than I wanted to pay for. They had
two: one was $16 and the other was $20. So, I went with a slightly cheaper cut on
meat, a top round cut. I know it has a different taste and different fat
content, but it was still really good (I retained some of the juices to keep it
from drying out too much). The meat was slow-cooked for 2 ½ hours in a pot with
very few ingredients: some chopped onions and black pepper. After that time, I
took the meat out and pounded it down. I don’t have a pestle (I asked for one
for Christmas, so maybe I should’ve waited a couple of days to make this meal),
so I used a potato masher instead, and it did the job. I did add a little salt
at the end – it reminded me of pot roast my mother used to make. It's not beautiful in a picture, but my stomach though it was. Perfect for a
cold winter’s night.

I wish you could smell this picture, like you can in Harry Potter. It certainly made my kitchen smell good.

I made what’s called ugali; basically it’s pouring cornmeal
into boiling water. It was supposed to be the consistency of really thick
mashed potatoes, but mine got really dry and crumbly. I did add 2 tablespoons
of butter and a little garlic powder. I don’t know if the garlic powder is
truly Botswanan, but it certainly was really good. Crumbles and all.

Crumbly ugali.

The vegetable dish I made is called Botswana cabbage. It starts out sautéing tomatoes and onions,
then adding in some ginger, oregano, thyme, and I added some green chilies, and
of course, cabbage. I added water and let it simmer. However, I really should’ve
been checking on it a little better because the bottom got a little burnt when
the water cooked off. And I think my recipe might have had a typo, because it
called for a lot of oregano, much more than mixed well with the other spices. Overall,
it had potential of being really tasty, if I hadn’t have messed it up.

Cabbage and tomatoes and all sorts of bits of (burnt) pieces.

Finally, this is one meal where I broke tradition and left
the bread for last. Called magwinya, or fat cakes, it starts out as a dough of
flour, sugar, yeast and salt and worked it until it was smooth and rests for a
half hour. Afterwards, I made small balls of dough and fried it. The recipe
said it was similar to Yorkshire puddings, but I thought it was closer to fried
biscuits that you find in the southern US. (And if you think about it, there is
definitely a link between the two areas; however, this particular one may be
more of an influence from the British, seeing how I’m not sure how much grains
were actually harvested and ground before their arrival; they tend to use more
root vegetables and tubers. But it’s not like they didn’t have access to buying
flour, I suppose. I will have to check on this though. Please, if you know,
leave a comment and let me know the origin on magwinya and whether or not it is
related to southern fried biscuits or not.) And of course, I thought I had
vegetable oil but apparently I didn’t, so I had to use olive oil. But they
turned out really well. I never followed up to see what they put on it, so I
put butter and strawberry jam. Needless to say, there are no leftovers.

Because "fat cakes" were exactly what I need when we're in Christmas cookie season.

We are at the peak of the Christmas season and the end of
the year, which makes me reflect on what’s really important in my life. I think
this meal somewhat represents life in general. There are core things that make
up the bulk of the meal – that part that fills you up – which is the seswaa and
ugali. Then there is the part of life that doesn’t turn out the way you planned,
but you really strive to still make it the best it can be: the cabbage. And of
course there are the sweet moments – the fat cakes with strawberry jam – that makes
everything worth waiting for, the things that memories are made of, and reminds
you there is still good in the world, often of few ingredients. And of course,
it’s all best enjoyed with the ones you love. It seemed like such a fitting
meal seeing how Kwanzaa starts this week. Happy holidays, everyone!

Like most African countries, music education and music in
general is such an integrated part of their culture that it’s hard to separate
music from its society. Most of the Tswana folk music is vocal music without
the use of drums (somewhat rare for African music), but it does make use of
stringed instruments in a lot of its music. The guitar has become popular in
Tswana folk music in recent decades, overtaking the traditional segaba, although
it is making a comeback. The segaba is a one-stringed instrument with a metal
resonator on the end, some of which looks like old cans attached to the wooden
base (reminding me of the township art mentioned in my last post). It’s played
by striking the string with another wire attached to a wooden handle and sounds
like a beginning violin player.

Kwaito music is a genre of music that originated out of
Johannesburg, South Africa and has become really popular in nearby Botswana. A
lot of South African culture has made its way across the border, but that’s
probably to be expected, seeing how Johannesburg is roughly a five-hour drive
from Gaborone. To me, there are elements of American hip-hop and of Caribbean dancehall. It's kind of catchy. I like it.

An African style of rhumba that originated in Central Africa
is called kwasa kwasa, a style that is slightly slower than rhumba (that
actually is an Afro-Cuban form of music). Since it’s really hard to separate a
lot of music styles with corresponding dances, kwasa kwasa has a simpler foot movement
and more erotic movements as well. Some artists like Vee sped it up a little
and created the style known as kwaito kwasa, making it a new dance form. The piece I put here is one of Vee's pices as an example of kwaito kwasa. I like this piece, although I think it would be great if someone took this and mixed it as a house beat.

Rock music and hard rock music are becoming more popular in
Botswana. Because of the younger generation’s access to the Internet and
television stations like MTV, rock has gained popularity in recent years. Hip-hop
is also highly popular with influences from the United States, Europe, and the
rest of Africa. Likewise, African and Caribbean reggae is also highly popular
as well. Fortunately, there were a lot of artists listed on Wikipedia; but
unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of available music on Spotify. (I’m not
really happy with Spotify lately; I may switch over and try Pandora.)

Dance in Botswana is not just merely for entertainment; many
times, it served a purpose. The traditional dances of Botswana are often used
to pass on stories and for healing ceremonies. It’s often expressive and
rhythmic. Different regions certainly have their own dances as there are different
dances for different purposes, but some of the more popular ones come from the
San or Bushman.

One of the healing dances involves having the sick person
lie down next to a fire while the dancers dance and sing and clap around the sick
person. The dance starts out slowly and gradually gets faster, at times
stopping to assess the health of the sick individual, only to start back up on
the dance. It always starts in the evening and can last anywhere from 3-8
hours. This video is a little long, but it's a really good look into the San bushmen way of life and the healing dance. It's also a good example to hear spoken "click" language.

The other important dance serves two purposes for two
different groups of people. For the Sarwa peoples, the dance is to celebrate
good hunts, however the Tswana people use it as a rain dance. The Setswana word
for rain is pula, which also happens
to be the motto of Botswana as well as the term for their currency. (When I was in high school, my friend and I
who were both part of the mellophone section in marching band devised rain
dances in order for us to take breaks. Weirdly enough, it worked almost every
time within an hour of doing the dance. One time we did it really quickly and
caused a tornado watch a few hours later. We were sort of famous. Sort of.)

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Most of the art in Botswana comes from two different
peoples. The first being the !Kung peoples, or sometimes called the San or
Bushmen. And no, that exclamation point is not a typo. The language of the
!Kung people is otherwise known as the “click language,” thought to be one of
the oldest and most complex languages in the world. The explanation point
signifies where the click is. Since the
!Kung peoples mainly lived in the Kalahari Desert in the areas of Botswana and
Namibia, their art tends to be made from objects found in the Kalahari Desert,
such as ostrich shells, bones, clay pots, beaded jewelry, and wooden carving
(including that of animals). There was evidence of ancient cave drawings that
still appear today as vibrant etchings depicting important aspects of life at
that time: hunts, animals, ceremonies and recording the stepping stones of
life.

The other style of art in Botswana is tied to the Nguni
peoples, a style that is similar to many tribes of the southeast regions of
Africa. The Nguni peoples created more intricate carvings out of stone, wood,
or clay/ceramics. They also specialize in what’s called township art – that is,
art that is made from discarded items like bottle caps, cans, pieces of wood, animal
skins, etc. They use these materials to make objects that are used in everyday
life, like musical instruments, walking sticks, blankets, baskets, etc. While
there are many areas between the two types of art in Botswana that are
different, there are large commonalities between the two as well, as evident in
many aspects of their cultures and societies.

Bessie Head is often considered one of Botswana’s most
revered authors. Originally born in South Africa to a wealthy white woman and a
black servant, racial discord in that country led her to eventually leave and
move to Botswana. The novel that she is most well-known for is When Rain Clouds Gather, some of which
seems was inspired by her own life story in some ways, in my opinion. The subjects of her novels tend to be about
African life, especially about humble beginnings and the struggle of life, as
well as religion (raised as a Catholic, she later converted to Hinduism). Although
she died in 1986 at the age of 48 from hepatitis, the Bessie Head Heritage
Trust and the Bessie Head Literature Awards were established in 2007 in honor of
her.

Another writer that I think should not be left out is Unity
Dow. She is probably better known as not only as a judge, but the first female
judge in Botswana’s High Court. She has long fought for women’s rights and
human rights in general. One of the key
cases she was involved in was making the change that the children of a women
are legally Batswana. (Tradition holds that nationality comes from the father.)
She has written five books that often
deal with the dichotomy of Western life versus traditional life, including
relevant topics like AIDS and poverty.

One of the major independent newspapers publishing daily is
the Mmegi. (Another newspaper read in Botswana is Botswana Guardian, but for some reason, I couldn't get the site to come up.) It literally means “The
Reporter” in Setswana. It’s an English-language newspaper based out of
Gaborone, and they do have an online edition at www.mmegi.bw.
What gets me when I was browsing their site are the differences in English-language journalistic writing. In the
US, unless it’s an op-ed column or a high school paper, the wording is very cut
and dry. Theirs use a little more casual words and phrases, making it sound
more like a conversation you would hear (well, maybe a little more professionally
written than that), rather than a non-emotional dry “just-the-facts-ma’am”
style of writing. Barring everything I’ve been taught about journalistic
writing, I like it though. But you know me, I tend to gravitate toward less
formalities any day.

Monday, December 17, 2012

While Botswana is a majority Christian nation, they
celebrate only a few of the major holidays with a day off.

New Year’s Day.
January 1-2. Most people will get
together with family or friends and bring in the New Year with food and drink.
They also bring in the New Year with a lot of noise, banging pots and pans, blowing
whistles and whatever they can find. People also like to bring in the new year with friends and family, and with music and dance, food and drink. I
found a blurb that read that some Tswana peoples believe that married couples
should have sex at midnight to ensure a prosperous year. They can even file for
divorce if one partner doesn’t show up for this ritual. I wonder how many babies are born around the
end of September or early October.

Good Friday. Varies. Most Christians in Botswana will attend church
services on this day. Traditionally Good Friday is the beginning of a four-day
holiday weekend. Many people will go to
their hometowns and home villages to spend the long weekend with family and
friends.

Easter. Varies. People will usually start the day off with
special services at church. Church is usually followed by a great luncheon
filled with many types of food and drink. While there may be some of the American
commercial aspects to Easter found in Botswana (like Easter candy or the Easter
bunny), most people in Botswana do not know who the Easter bunny is or about
coloring eggs.

Easter Monday. Varies. Most businesses and all schools are closed on
this day, including the stock exchange. Most people take this day as a day of
relaxation with family.

Labour Day. May 1. This is a day in honor of labor history
and celebrates the workers of the world.

Ascension. Varies. This is the 40th day after
Easter, and in Christianity it marks the day that Jesus ascended into heaven.
The stock exchange doesn’t trade and businesses and schools are generally
closed on this day.

Sir Seretse Khama Day. July 1. Seretse Khama was born into a prominent family
in 1921 and went to England as an adult to eventually study to be a barrister.
While there, he fell in love with an English woman, and they were married in
1948. Their interracial marriage was not taken well in the era of apartheid South
Africa. After banning interracial marriage, it would make them look worse if there
was an interracial couple ruling just across the border. So, they pressured
Britain to do something about it. Being in debt from WWII, and not wanting to
lose their access to South Africa’s gold and other resources, the couple was
exiled. The couple eventually came back and slowly worked their way back in
politics once more to eventually become the first president of Botswana after
gaining independence. His son Ian Khama is the current president of Botswana. I’m
fascinated with his story, but maybe because I’m in an interracial marriage
myself. In a way, it’s amazing how far we have come, but how far we still have
to go.

President’s Day. 3rd Monday and Tuesday in July. Technically,
since 2006, President’s Day is now only a one-day holiday. However, in reality,
people still celebrate it for two days, including the Bank of Botswana and the government
itself. There are a lot of small
festivals that take place in many towns and cities, filled with vendors, food, and
music.

Botswana Day.
September 30-October 1. This is the day that commemorates Botswana’s
independence from Britain in 1966. People blow horns early in the morning and then
spend the entire day listening to speeches, watching live dance contests, music
concerts, beauty contests to crown Miss Independence, and of course eating and
drinking all day. Parades and festivities are held by local arts and culture
societies and lasts until late in the night.

Christmas Day. December 25. Batswana celebrate Christmas in
many of the Western ways we are accustomed to in the US and areas of Europe,
like decorating Christmas trees and Santa Claus. People usually stay up late on
Christmas Eve, singing carols and other devotional songs. After midnight, they
exchange gifts. On Christmas Day, many
people dress their best and attend special church services, afterwards visiting
friends and family. As with any proper holiday, there is a lot of traditional
food and a lot of drinking to be had. In some areas, the people will gather for
soccer matches in the afternoon.

Boxing Day. December 26. There are several different theories behind
Boxing Day, but it’s chiefly a holiday celebrated in former British
colonies/protectorates (except the US). In most places, Boxing Day has become a
day of shopping and deal busters. Some countries in southern Africa (like South
Africa) also call Boxing Day “The Day of Goodwill,” and I’m imagining that they
use it as a day to give back to the community as well.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Botswana is far more than the nature parks and game reserves
that spread across most of the northern part of the country, although that is a
large part of it. The flat landscape of the Kalahari Desert takes up around 70%
of the land in Botswana. In fact, the nickname and symbol for Botswana is the
zebra. Because of this, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated
countries in the world: it’s almost like taking all of the people out of the
state of Texas, except for the residents of the city of Houston. The country borders South Africa (using the
Limpopo River as a border for some of the way), Namibia, and Zimbabwe (sharing
a border with the Zambezi River part of the way), and a really tiny technical
border with Zambia (from what I can tell on Google Maps). It's the only place in the world where four countries come together.

The area was originally inhabited by the Tswana peoples, and
tensions arose when other tribes started making their ways in the northern
sections of the country. On top of all that, Dutch Boers also started making
their way inland from the Transvaal into Botswana as well. Finally after a
number of appeals, the British put the area under their protection in 1885 and called
it the Bechuanaland Protectorate (which is why English is one of the official
languages, along with Setswana). The northern part eventually became what we
know as Botswana today, and the southern area where many of the Setswana
speakers lived became part of South Africa. Botswana later gained independence
from Britain in 1966, and started out as one of the poorest countries, but
quickly changed that for the better.

The origin of the word Botswana is interesting to me. The
name of the main ethnic group, Tswana, is the base word. The prefix bo- is added to it to indicate the “land
of.” Following in that fashion, the prefix ba-
means “the people (plural)” as in Batswana; mo-
means “a person (singular)” as in Motswana; and se- means “the language or culture of” as in Setswana. Even though in English language print,
“Botswanan” is usually used to describe its people and things from the country. I found it interesting that their currency is called pula, which is also the Setswana word for "rain." It's also their motto.

Botswana makes a lot of their revenue in uncut diamonds. (Debswana
is the largest diamond mining industry in Botswana, yet it’s half-owned by the
government. That would never fly in the US.) They have also found large
deposits of uranium as well as gold, copper, and oil.

Botswana and southern Africa is thought to be the origin of
watermelons. It traveled north through trade, and

Africans brought watermelons
and watermelon seeds along with them to North and South America and the
Caribbean via the slave trade. While it’s a terrible reason how it got here, I’m
really glad they brought this with them.

One of the biggest problems facing Botswana today is the
high prevalence of AIDS, which affects life expectancy and other economic factors.
The estimated rate from 2006 was that nearly 24% of adults suffered from either
AIDS or HIV. However, Botswana also has
a comprehensive plan to combat it by giving its citizens access to free or
cheap generic anti-retroviral drugs that they need. Part of this program is to
pass on information that is critical to stopping the spread of the disease, thanks
in part to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Merck Foundation and
several other organizations for helping to fund this program to make this
happen. I’m sure they will see increases in life expectancy and other economic
improvements in the years to come.

It’s also the setting for the famous books by Scottish
writer Alexander McCall Smith, The No. 1
Ladies’ Detective Agency. In the US, it was broadcast as a mini-series on
HBO a couple of years ago starring Jill Scott (love her music!) and Anika Noni
Rose (who did the voice of Tiara in The
Princess and The Frog). I just got
disk 1 off of Netflix and watched the pilot episode last night. Since it was filmed
entirely in Botswana and in its capital Gaborone, the opening shots showed wonderful views of the beauty of
the land. I highly recommend it, even only after one episode.

My initial research on Botswana has intrigued me on many
levels. I had some small pre-knowledge about this area, only in general, but
I’m hoping that I can draw connections and fill in gaps on the culture of this
country.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Back when I was doing the posts for Armenia, I had contacted
Robyn Kalajian, the main writer for a husband-and-wife blog called The Armenian
Kitchen (www.thearmeniankitchen.com)
and told her how much I enjoyed the blog. I had used the recipes they had
listed as a basis for my Armenian menu – which was wonderful! Last week, she
sent me an e-mail saying that she nominated Worldly Rise for the Leibster
Award. (In her acceptance post, she had mentioned that the word “leibster” is
the German word for “beloved.”) In essence, I’m gathering that it’s more of an
award of recognition for the blogs that you find meaningful and/or interesting
and/or simply enjoy reading. I’ll take that. That means that there are people
out there who are reading what I do, and I suppose that’s the whole point of it
all. Essentially, all writers want to be read.

In order to accept the award, I had to in turn nominate five
other blogs that had less than 300 followers. It almost posed a problem, and I
struggled, but I came up with four. I’m sure that’s enough. I don’t have much
time to read too many since I’m writing and researching all the time. Oh yeah,
and my family and full-time job seem to vie for my attention as well.

My college friend, Tony Bird, has a blog called “Your Friend
Tony” (www.yourfriendtony.wordpress.com)
that I enjoy reading. He went to high school in the next school district over,
yet we have many mutual friends weirdly enough. However, I met Tony through a
friend of mine while at college – we were all English majors of varying sorts. I like his perspective on things, and I like
his nerdy-dry humor (maybe because it’s similar to mine).

I went to college with Heather Pechin, where we were both
music majors. (Don’t be confused: I majored in both English and music, but only
graduated with a degree in music.) I’ve
enjoyed reading her blog “Pechin’s Pizza of the Week” (www.pechinspizzaoftheweek.blogspot.com).
While it’s not strictly about pizza, she does cover an array of food and local
eating establishments. The best thing I learned from her was making brownies
and putting Andes mints on top of the batter before baking. It was the best
idea ever.

While I was researching food from Bangladesh, I came across
the blog “Rownak’s Bangla Recipes” (www.banglarecipes.com.au).
I used several of the recipes listed on her blog. My favorite by far was the
sweet buns, a braided roll with sweet butter on the inside. It was definitely a favorite in my family. It’s
a great collection of recipes and some stories about them along with some tips
in preparing and cooking the meals. I really enjoy it!

I’ve been told my blog is the sister-blog of “Travel by
Stove (www.travelbystove.blogspot.com).
I actually come across it whenever I start a new country, and I always try to
read it to see what she’s already done (she’s a little ahead of me). I tried to
make mine a little different from hers so that readers can get the whole sense
of each country through both of our blogs. I like her writing style (probably
because it’s not that much different from my own: witty, intelligent people
spot our types of humor from miles away), and I don’t feel so bad that I came
to the table (no pun intended; well, ok, maybe just a little) not knowing much
about all the dirty details of cooking and am accident-prone with my fair share
of mistakes. I’m glad there are two of us in the world who aren’t afraid to
admit it in a humorously, well-written way.

And as promised, without further ado, I have to state eleven
facts about me:

1. I met my husband on an Amtrak train. I took a
day trip to Chicago from Indianapolis, and on the way back, we sat next to each
other, and started talking. And less than a year later, we were married and
have been for the past eight years. And now we have two kids, that I’m pretty
sure are only here as a study to see how quickly we lose our sanity. (Just
kidding, I love my kids.)

2.I really don’t like prime numbers. You know,
those numbers that are only divisible between one and itself. I don’t know why;
they’re the “odd” one out (yes, the pun was intended). If I’m changing the
volume or something, I try not to stop on a prime number. I read somewhere once
that Christina Applegate hates odd numbers. I don’t know if that’s exactly true
or not, but I’d like to think that there might be two of us weirdos out there.

3.I played the French horn for 10 years and have
played the piano for the past 20 years. I have sang and did percussion for many
years along the way. I also own an mbira from Zimbabwe that I bought earlier
this year, and I play it as a means of stress relief.

4.I have studied Japanese for almost 20 years and
can read a substantial amount of Portuguese and Spanish. I had taught at Mori
no Ike (Japanese language camp of Concordia Language Villages in Dent,
Minnesota) for three summers. I spend a
summer in Tokyo, Japan in 1998, and I spent a month in southern Brazil
(Curitiba and Porto Alegre) during September 2003.

5.We’re car show people: we have a 2000 Chevy S-10
lowrider truck that has won various awards for my husband’s custom paint jobs,
and we’re currently restoring/customizing a 1964 Chevy Bel Air.

6.The farthest north I’ve traveled was Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada; the farthest east I’ve traveled was Montauk Point, Long Island,
New York; the farthest south I’ve traveled was Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul,
Brazil; the farthest west I’ve traveled was Maebashi, Gunma, Japan.

7.Capers really are the best thing in the world. And so is
black olive tapenade and avocados. My idea of great breakfast items include: a)
cold pizza, b) cold jerk chicken, c) pumpkin pie (or any pie for that matter),
and/or d) biscuits and sausage gravy.

8.My husband and I are huge fans of house music
and techno music. But not so much into that dubstep mess. I’m also a fan of reggae, reggaeton, hipster
rock, indie rock, punk rock (gypsy punk, Irish punk, skateboard punk), hard
rock, classic rock, rockabilly, 80s hair bands, psychedelic rock, Japanese
rock, MPB (musica popular do Brasil), Arabic groove, Cuban groove, gypsy
groove, jazz, big band, blues, classical, R&B, hip-hop and any kind of
fusion between them all.

9.When I was in college, I was able to have lunch
with the great Peter Schickele. I was also able to shake the hand of and
receive a kiss from the late great Les Paul.

10.I love office supply stores or educational
supply stores. And even though I passed the seventh grade, I’m still fascinated
by the pens that contain four different inks. Really one of the best inventions
ever, just behind the microchip and the transistor.

11.I have an interest in the meaning of place names
and names in general. My first name Beth means “house of God” in Hebrew, but my
real name Harriet means “home ruler” in Old German. My last name Adams means
“son of Adam” in English (but may also come from the Hebrew word for “earth”),
but my maiden name Campbell means “crooked mouth” in Scottish. My husband’s
name translates to “Crown Nobleman Son-of-Adam” (from Greek, Old English, and
English). My daughter’s name translates to “Variation-of-Mary Ruddy-complected
Son-of-Adam” (from Latin, Gaelic, English). My son’s name translates to
“Fearless King Son-of-Adam” (from Swahili, Arabic, English).

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Thanks to the Ottoman Empire, the food in Bosnia and
Herzegovina share a lot of similarities to Turkish cuisine, but also that of
Greece as well.

The first dish I made today is called japrak. I changed up
the dish a bit, so it’s probably not authentic by any means. It’s basically
meat and rice stuffed in grape leaves. Right off the bat, I substituted ground
lamb, only because I was looking for an excuse to cook with lamb again, and I
actually found ground lamb at Meijer. Second of all, I couldn’t find any grape
leaves. I don’t know if it’s something that’s out of season or that I was never
looking in the right places. Both may be valid. So, I used cabbage leaves
instead. But then again, I must’ve picked the worst cabbage out there. I could
hardly tear any leaves off of it without ripping it to shreds. And to top it
off, my folding skills are at a minimum. (But if you’ve met me, I can’t fold
anything. Whether it be towels, clothes, origami, cabbage leaves, it’s just not
happening. If only there were a Wadding Something into a Ball Award, I would
totally rock that.) But somehow, by the grace of all that’s sacred, I managed
to finagle it all together into something that slightly resembled what I was
making. So, while it technically may not be japrak as the Bosnians know it, it
was still tasty nonetheless.

The second dish on the menu is the burek: the most iconic
Bosnian food item. In fact, the musician Dino Merlin has an entire album entitled
“Burek” (I put it in my Spotify playlist just because of this). I used this as my bread recipe. I had to
guess at making the dough somewhat since my recipe had sort of forgotten to
list some measurements. After I made the dough and divided it into four pieces,
I rolled each piece out into a circle. I placed a mix of minced beef and onions
in the middle and rolled the dough around it, making a tube of sorts. Then I
spiraled the tube around, but the pieces weren’t that large, so it was hard to make
a tight spiral. And of course, I got confused on my recipes, so I needlessly
gave each burek a sour cream and milk bath.
No harm, no foul though. It was much better tasting than I imagined.

How do you get better than meat-filled dough? Why were they keeping this a secret?

And finally, I made something I’ve always enjoyed but never
had to guts to make myself: spinach and cheese pie. The recipe reminded me of
one of my favorite Greek dishes, spanokotirapita. Mine, as you might have
guessed, didn’t quite turn out the same.
I mixed the spinach with the sour cream and ricotta cheese and laid it
between layers of fillo dough. The problem was that the fillo dough I had had
been in my freezer since when I made empanadas from Argentina. So, needless to
say, it was pretty crumbly, but that wasn’t stopping me. It definitely wasn’t
as many layers as the recipe suggested, but it was still really good.

Prior to the last layer of fillo dough and sour cream on top.

The kids
had a different opinion, but that was to be expected. Not even YouTube videos
of classic Popeye cartoons were changing their minds. But I did get my son to help tear up the spinach with me, even though I was saving him from being in trouble at this moment.

What he doesn't know is that he's helping make a dish he won't touch.

I really liked this meal, and my husband told me to
definitely put this in the “do again” pile (especially the burek). If this meal
had a theme, it would be “it may not look pretty, but it tastes good, so who
cares?” There is something in food presentation; if it doesn’t look appealing,
you’re far less inclined to eat it. But then on the other hand (where I mostly
reside), I really try not to stress out about formalities. If it’s mostly
there, then it’s good enough for me. There’s a zen proverb I try to adhere to
that says “80% is perfect.” So even though it didn’t turn out how it was
supposed to if I was strictly trying to go for authenticity, who’s to say it
wasn’t perfect as a meal that my family enjoyed?

The final product! Perfect for a moderately cool, rainy December evening.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

One of the most traditional forms of music from Bosnia and
Herzegovina is ganga music. It originated in the rural areas, especially in
Herzegovina and the Croatian region of Dalmatia (the namesake of the famous
black and white spotted dog breed). It mostly consists of a lead singer singing
one line and then the other singers coming in, some describing it as a “wail.”
It also utilizes dissonant harmonies, often having different singers singing
half-steps from each other. In most Western and European classical music
traditions, especially before WWI, it’s
often recommended to not to have half-steps against each other because these
are tendency tones and need to be resolved. But here, it’s desired to have that
dissonance, probably something that takes a while for Western ears to listen
past. However, this dissonance was used for a purpose: ganga was performed in
the fields, and used as a means of communicating with people in distant
fields.

Common instruments found in ganga and other related forms
are the droneless bagpipe, wooden flutes and the šargija (a long-necked,
fretted string instrument that is plucked). The gusle is a single-stringed
instrument with a long neck which is bowed that is really similar to the
Albanian lahuta (mentioned earlier when we did Albania).

Another style of folk music in Bosnia Herzegovina is called
sevdalinka, some thought of as the most traditional (or most “Bosnian”) of
musical forms. It has more emotion and melancholy in the melody line, the
subjects being mostly about lost loves and death, especially of a loved one. Originally,
it was performed with a saz (a type of stringed instrument originating from
Turkey), but now accordions are used far more, along with the help of
clarinets, violins, upright bass, and snare drums. Not only are the sevdalinkas
a merge of Bosnian and Turkish music, but it also incorporates certain musical
styles of Muslim music as well.

As far as modern music goes, I found a ton of music available
on Spotify for free and iTunes if you want to buy it (most priced around $10).
Rock music is really popular, even though many groups sound like the rock from
the late 1980s/early 1990s US rock groups a la Journey or Rush, or some of the
hair band anthem rock sounds of Def Leppard or Poison. (Don’t get me wrong, I
like that style.) And then there are several groups I found who have more of an
indie rock feel by bringing in folk music into the music. Some of the groups that
I found that I liked are Dino Merlin, Laka, Igor Zerajic, Letu Stuke, Zoster,
Monolit, Zabranjeno Pusenje, Indexi, Bijelo Dugme, Divlje Jagode.

Hip-hop music is starting to make its way into Bosnia
Herzegovina as well. It’s not quite as popular, but there are a few artists
making a name for themselves, and it’s growing in popularity. Two that I like
are Edo Maajka and Frenkie.

The kolo is a dance that is danced in many of the Balkan
countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina. The dancers will gather in a
circle (sometimes as a single or double line) and hold hands or put their hands
around each other’s backs, and practically all of the dance steps are complicated
steps with just the legs and feet. Each region and even each city has its own
kolo. Both men and women dance the kolo, and typically wear traditional dress
while doing so.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

The art in Bosnia and Herzegovina is as diverse as its
people. But more so, it changed and morphed every time it someone else took
control of the area.

There have been many cave drawings and engravings that have
been preserved from the primitive times. Archaeologists and local peoples have
also found decorated plates and bronze necklaces that date back to the Bronze
Age. Roman art and architecture made its way across the Adriatic, as well as
influences from nearby Greece as well.

When the Ottomans entered the area, they not only introduced
their religion, their cuisine, and their language, they also had a major
influence on its art and architecture. Mosques, bath houses, and public
fountains started popping up across the country and Islamic art filled these
areas and people’s homes. Bridges are really important to the Ottoman and to Islamic architecture. Arabic and Persian calligraphy was also really
popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina. (I discovered some pretty cool pictures of
Arabic calligraphy when we did Bahrain.)

After Bosnia-Herzegovina became part of the Austro-Hungarian
occupation, the art and architecture scene thrived. New buildings quickly were
erected, in the classical, renaissance, baroque, and gothic styles. Artists
themselves were sent abroad to the main art capitals of Europe: Prague, Paris,
Vienna, Krakow.

By the time that Bosnia-Herzegovina became part of
Yugoslavia, it had already been exposed to the changing art scene and modern
art movements in Europe. Art nouveau, impressionism, expressionism, and
functionalism were utilized by Bosnian artists around this time. During these
communist times, the art scene practically disintegrated, but there were a few
artists who remained popular. Roman Petrović and Jovan Bijelić are two that
leaned toward abstract art, while Karlo Mijić and Vojo Dimitrijević were known
for their paintings.

However, after WWII art started moving towards abstract
art sculptures and later in architecture.

Two of the most iconic buildings in
Bosnia Herzegovina are in Sarajevo: the Holiday Inn, and the Avaz Twist Tower
(one of my favorite buildings – really cool design! – the headquarters of a
large newspaper company).

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a long literary history, starting
with the founder of modern literature, Matija Divković. He was a Franciscan and
wrote a couple of books on religious topics. He later traveled to Venice and
had Bosnian Cyrillic letters cut and molded so that he could print his works.

Antun Branko Šimić is a poet who grew up in Herzegovina. He
tore himself away from traditionalists and developed a name for himself as an
expressionist poet, never really having a large canon of personal works. He did,
however, write a great deal of literary criticism and translations. Many times,
he would use the decasyllabic foot (meaning to have ten syllables per line) and
folk lament style, writing about pain and poverty, life and death, and
Herzegovina. His image is on the 20 KM bank note.

Aleksa Šantić is another poet from the city of Mostar in
Bosnia Herzegovina who wrote over 800 poems during his lifetime. Šantić lived
during the times during the Austro-Hungarian occupation. Many of these poems
were critical of the government and the “Establishment,” hoping for diversity
in social and cultural aspects. He was
highly influenced by Heinrich Heine (who I mentioned when we did Austria) and
translated many of his works.

I actually share a very general and distant tie with the
symbolist poet Jovan Dučić. As a writer, he was more privy to the
dodecasyllable (having 12 syllables per line) and hendecasyllable (having 11
syllables per line) styles that he picked up from the French. Now here’s where
we get to the ties: when Germany invaded Yugoslavia during World War II, Dučić
left the country to escape the war, he came to stay with a relative of his who
was living in Gary, Indiana. (See, he came to the same state that I live in. I
said it was kind of distant.) He later crossed the border and organized an Illinois-based group for Serbian
ex-pats who also escaped the war, only to pass away in Libertyville, Illinois two years after coming
here. (Ironic name for the place where he finally rested.)

Ok, I really have to say that THAT is some mustache.

Ivo Andrić is a short story writer and novelist who received
the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961. He mainly wrote of Bosnian life during
the Ottoman Empire. The novel that put him on the map, The Bridge on the Drina,
was based on a real life bridge near the town of Višegrad on the River Drina
where he grew up. After he was awarded the prize money from winning the Nobel
Prize, he donated all of his winnings to developing and improving the library
system in Bosnia Herzegovina.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

It seems like there are a million holidays in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, but there are several holidays which are celebrated on slightly
different days, depending on whether you are Catholic or Orthodox. There are
also some public holidays that may be only celebrated in one region or another
(like in Australia). Because of the many religions celebrated here, there are
more than the usual number of holidays.

New Year’s Day. January 1-2. This is a time to bid the old
year goodbye by gathering at friend’s or family’s homes and sharing traditional
foods together. Bars and restaurants are often filled with partiers, and at the
stroke of midnight, people will spill into the streets, often with drinks in
hand, to shout and yell, bringing in the new year. Fireworks light up the sky
in its own reverie. Children look forward with anticipation to receiving gifts
from the adults at this time as well.

Christmas [Orthodox]. January 7. In Orthodox tradition, they
celebrate Christmas on this day, based on an older calendar. Many will also
take part of a 40-day fast prior to the day and start their celebrations with
an elaborate feast after attending a special church service in honor of the day.
An old tradition is the cutting of oak branches used to start large bonfires in
front of churches and homes, thought to bring warmth, love, and harmony to the
community. Some carry on the tradition of baking a gold coin into a loaf of
bread, and whoever receives the gold coin gets special well-wishes for the
coming year.

Republic Day [Republika Srpska]. January 9. Bosnia-Herzegovina is divided into two main
“states” if you will: Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina. The Repubilka Srpska more or less follows the border across the
northern and eastern sections and is divided in two by the small District
Brčko. The main city in the region is
Banja Luka. Basically this region (comprised mostly of the Serbian population of
Bosnia-Herzegovina) decided to celebrate Independence Day on this day.

Old New Year. January
14. Many of the former Soviet countries, as well as Bosnia-Herzegovina celebrate
what’s known as the Old New Year or Orthodox New Year. (Another source called
it Serbian New Year.) It’s based on the Julian calendar, the calendar used
before agreeing to switch over to the currently-used Gregorian calendar in
1918. On this day, many local rock bands perform concerts prior to a firework
display at midnight.

Mevlud (Prophet’s Birthday) [Muslim]. Varies. This holiday
celebrates the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. Bosnian Muslims will go to their mosques
for special prayers, and some may also sprinkle the people with rosewater while
incense fills the atmosphere. Originally, Bosnians sung in Turkish, but since
then the lyrics have been translated into Bosnian.

Independence Day [Federation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina]. March 1. This
day marks the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Socialist Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia. This is only celebrated in the Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina (as mentioned earlier, the Republika Srpska celebrates it January
9). Many of the larger cities will have
special street parades and state-sponsored cultural shows. Since most people
that this day off, they are able to spend it with friends and family.

Easter [Catholic and Orthodox]. Varies. While Catholics and Orthodox
Christians celebrate Easter on different days, they celebrate it in very
similar ways. Traditionally, people
would fast for the 40 days prior to Easter, but in recent years most people
just fast starting on Good Friday.
Traditional Easter foods include a variety of cold meats and cheese,
breads, and of course colored eggs. A lot of the time, eggs are colored red,
although you’ll certainly find other colors.
Egg hunts are something of a new thing only in the past 2-3 decades.

May Day. May 1-2. Most
people have the day off of work and school, and commonly spend the day with
friends and family. It’s a popular day
for recreation and games, and traditionally roast lamb at picnics.

St. George’s Day [Orthodox]. May 6. Celebrates the Feast of
St. George, one of the most important figures in Orthodox Christian religion.
St. George is a martyr and is usually depicted as a horse-back riding cavalier
valiantly slaying a dragon.

Victory Day [Republika Srpska]. May 9. Also known as Victory Day over
Fascism, and most businesses and schools are closed for the day.

St. Vitus’ Day [Orthodox]. June 28. Also called Vidovdan,
it’s a holiday that encompasses a lot of sentiments. It’s more of a holiday for
the Serbs of this region, and in remembrance of times in history when the Serb-majority
areas were overtaken by others that happened to correspond to being on this
day. St. Vitus is an important saint to Serbian culture, who was also a martyr
and was the one who exorcised the evil out of Diocletian’s son around the same
time Christianity was being brought to the Serbs.

St. Peter's Day [Orthodox]. July 12. This day, named after
St. Peter, is a pyromaniac's holiday. I say that in jest of course, but one of
the traditions is burning things. Many use wood and burn torches now, but in
the past, people have burned tires to create an acrid black smoke, signifying
the past when people have been burned at the stake.

St. Elijah's Day [Orthodox]. August 2. Also called Ilindan
or St. Elias' Day, in honor of an Arab educated in Egypt. Celebrations can be
raucous, since it's believed he ascended to the heavens in a fiery chariot.
Traditionally, there are a lot of fireworks displays around the area on this
day.

Eid al-Fitr [Muslim]. Varies. This day includes special
prayers at the mosque and is spent with friends and families with elaborate
meals. Eid al-Fitr is the holiday feast that celebrates the end of Ramadan, the
month of fasting and reflection.

Assumption of Mary [Catholic – August 15. Orthodox – August
28]. This holiday is centered around the idea that Mary the mother of Jesus
ascended into heaven after her death. It is generally celebrated with a great
feast and other festivities.

Nativity of the Virgin Mary [Catholic – September 8.
Orthodox – September 21]. This is a day in honor of the Virgin Mary, a figure
considered highly important in the Christian religion. It’s been written in the
Book of James (that was left out of the Bible that we know today) that Mary’s
birth was too miraculous since her parents were past age to bear children.
There are many symbols used around this time, namely the fleur de lis, pierced
heart, crescent moon, among others.

Eid al-Adha [Muslim]. Varies. Also called “Feast of the Sacrifice,”
this holiday commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son.
Traditionally, people would sacrifice an animal and give part of the meat to
the poor, as well as other charitable acts.
People do dress in their best clothes for special prayer services at
their mosque and come home to wonderful feasts with family and friends.

All Saints Day [Catholic].
November 1. This is a Catholic holiday that celebrates all the saints,
especially as a catch-all to those saints that do not already have days for
them.

All Souls Day [Catholic].
November 2. This day is in remembrance of those who have passed on
already. People will take time to care for and maintain upkeep on loved ones’
gravesites.

St. Demetrius’ Day [Orthodox]. November 8. Also called Mitrovdan. St.
Demetrius, a martyr from Thessalonica, was baptized in secret since his parents
had to keep their Christianity a secret. He’s often thought of as the protector
of the young and those who are struggling with extremely alluring temptations.

Dayton Agreement Day [Republika Srpska]. November 21. The Dayton Peace Agreement was
held at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio in 1995, and set
the steps in motion for the end of the Bosnian War for Independence from
Yugoslavia that lasted for four years. It’s only celebrated in the Republika
Srpska, where businesses and schools are closed for the day.

Statehood Day [Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina]. November 25. This day emphasizes Bosnia and
Herzegovina’s diversity in race and religion and their vow to work together and
bring equal rights to all of its citizens.

Christmas [Catholic].
December 25. Many family decorate
Christmas trees with a variety of toys, lights, ornaments (including chocolate –
hopefully it’s not too close to the lights), and topped with a star. The three
Sundays prior to Christmas day is designated as special days for children,
mothers, and fathers. Christmas Eve is a time for elaborate meals with family
that include turkey, stuffed cabbage, spinach pies (which I’ll be making!) and
different kinds of desserts. Instead of Santa Claus, they celebrate by having
Grandfather Frost bring the children their toys and treats.

Followers

About Me

I'm really nerdy. I have several writing projects going on, and I also have a really long list of books I'm working my way through; I'm still adding books to it, so in essence, I'll never get through it. I'm an amateur food and culture blogger, an amateur baker and cook, an amateur musicologist, an amateur grammarian, an amateur know-it-all, and a professional dreamer. Follow me on Twitter: @KayoSmada.